There really is nothing that can really beat the entertainment that a simple, inexpensive pack of cards can provide. Here are some games that kids are bound to enjoy:

1. Go Fish

This dealer has to give 7 cards to each player if there are 3 people or less playing. If there are more, 5 cards are given. The remaining cards are put in the centre, face down. The person to the left of the dealer starts off by 'requesting' everyone for a particular suit (e.g. Jacks, Kings, etc.). His choice will depend on the suit in which he has the most cards. Everyone who has that suit has to give it to him. If someone doesn't have the requested card, he tells the 'requester' "Go Fish". The requester then has to pick a card from the 'fish' pile, and the person who told him to 'go fish' will start requesting, just like the original person did.

Anyone who has a full set puts them in front of himself, face down. The winner is the person who has nothing left but a collection of sets!

2. Memory (aka Concentration)

The number of cards you use depends on the number of players, and their age. The younger they are, the lesser cards you should use. Basically, what you do is take a set of cards, and spread them, face down, in the center in a grid form. Players take turns, turning up 2 cards and looking at them. They have to put them back in the exact same place it was in. The objective of this game is to remember which card is where, so that you can form sets. The player with the most number of sets at the end of the game wins.

3. Menagerie

This is sure to be a hit among the kids. The players should start by choosing an animal name each, which is long e.g. Amazonian Umbrellabird. They then write these on a small piece of paper. All the chits are put inside a bottle and shaken. Each player is then made to take a chit, and the animal name which comes is theirs for the rest of the game. However, note that all the players should know the animal of the other players in addition to their own.

The card pack is dealt among the players by giving each player one card in turn. It doesn't matter if one player has more cards than the other. All the cards are kept face - down. The player to the left of the dealer starts off by revealing the top card of his pack. If a player sees that another player's face - up card is of the same rank, he has to shout the player's animal 3 times. If he's correct, he gets that player's face-up pile, and puts it under his pile. If he's wrong, he gives his face - up pile.

The player who manages to collect all the cards is the winner.